


Circles

by AsagiStilinski



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Actor Derek, Actor Derek Hale, Actor Stiles, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe- Werewolves are still a thing, Cosplay, Fluff, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Meet-Cute, Selkie Stiles Stilinski, Sterek Bingo 2017, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-02 18:36:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10950378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: The life of an actor is constant ups and downs, the show Stiles had been doing for three years was just cancelled, but he also just landed a role on The Walking Dead, he just lost his seal skin, but he also had a new werewolf costar who might be able to help him find it...





	Circles

**Author's Note:**

> This poor fic has been through so many changes my god, I went around in circles (thus it's title *cough*) over and over again over small details like theme and cosplay charectors and what shows they're working on and I just... hope that it all worked out well in the end ^^;

If there was one thing that Stiles really, honestly, and truly hated about being an actor, it was waiting to hear if he would be going to work on Monday or not

Be it a TV series or a film franchise, he was usually waiting to get a greenlight for something

Sure he did individual projects, one-off movies and even just one episode cameos, but more times than not he tried to aim for something he could have a recurring role in

Right now, for instance, he had been one of the main charectors in a network drama for the last three years

Problem was, the show had been on the bubble the last two seasons, and now here it sat again, with a "Could go either way" rating, and Stiles was sick to his stomach

He was sitting here, waiting on the phone to ring, to find out if he was going to have a job next month, and it was absolutely killing him

Stiles never had been good at waiting

His phone rang, his chest clenched, and his nightmare came up and slapped him in the face

"Cancelled huh? Yeah... yeah it was good working with you too,"

It was a bad day

~+~

Screw "bad day", it was a bad MONTH

Sure the show hadn't exactly been one of the network's best successes but Stiles had always been praised as a bright spot in a series of dark spots for his acting

He had thought it'd be easier than this to get some jobs after the show ended but honestly, things had started looking bleak

His agent kept telling him not to worry, that things would pick up, but he couldn't help that his anxiety was starting to get a little out of hand

He was auditioning for everything in sight lately and, for the most part, hadn't heard back from anyone yet

And then, thank God, the acceptance calls started coming through

Sure they were mostly for cameo appearances but it was a good start

And then, finally, three months after the show's cancellation, he heard from the place he had wanted to hear from most of all

He had a recurring role on The Walking Dead starting next week

 

~+~

 

Ofcourse, just before his new job was supposed to start, he had a convention to attend

The show may not have been popular with mainstream audiences but it had a loyal cult following that stuck by it so they were here at one of the local conventions in Atlanta doing a swan song panel and he kind of felt sick to his stomach about it

The realization that one of his most beloved roles of the last three years really was over- for good- was finally starting to sink in and it just... killed him inside

He knew that this was just part of the job as an actor, loving something and letting it go, but much like patience, he had just never been very good with the "letting go" part...

Now he was wandering the convention hall- in cosplay, to avoid being swarmed by fans, because even he liked his privacy now and again- with a broken heart, just trying not to break down, trying not to be so blue when he was at a convention and supposed to be having fun...

It was harder than he had anticipated

"Starlord!!"

Stiles jerked his head aside, smiling under his mask at the girls rushing towards him

"Can we get a picture of you with Gamora?" one of them asked

At first Stiles wasn't sure what she was talking about, but then he glanced up and... nearly had a heart attack

Standing just a few feet behind the girls was a Gamora cosplayer- a _male_ Gamora cosplayer

He was GORGEOUS and the cosplay was spot on too, down to every last peice of leather

He even had decided to make a ponytail out of his long black and purple hair rather than letting it stay down

Stiles wasn't sure if it was just an artistic choice or if it was to make the genderbent version of Gamora seem a little more masculine but either it was working for him

"Sure, I'd love to!" Stiles replied enthusiastically, making his way to the Gamora cosplayer and smiling at him- though he knew that the guy couldn't tell with Stiles' mask-helmet on

"Hey, these ladies would like a picture of us, you up for it?"

"It'd be my pleasure," Gamora smiled back, taking a step closer as the girls raised their cameras

"Can you two hold hands or something?" one of the photographers asked

"I'm cool with it if you are," Stiles shrugged back

"I'm fine with it," Gamora said with a nod, smiling for the camera as he wrapped his arm around Stiles' shoulders

And Stiles.... just tried not to freak out and fanboy too much as he wrapped an arm around Gamora's shoulders in return

The photos were snapped, clicks from camera phones went off, and the sound of little giggles and "aww"s echoed from around them, and then, finally, the crowd began to disperse, giving them a little more privacy

"Man I love your cosplay, you're so awesome for this," Stiles said in awe

Gamora smiled shyly, bowing his head and rubbing the back of his neck

"Thank you..."

"No problem!! I mean, really, you're just amazing for this, and if you ever want a cosplay buddy, I'm your man, I mean I've been waiting for the chance to do something with Harley Quinn honestly, but I'm up for just about anyone,"

"Well I would love to see you as Harley Quinn... but only if I get to cosplay Poison Ivy,"

Stiles' eyes widened, mouth dropping open as he stared up at the other cosplayer

"I think I'm in love with you,"

Gamora let out a slight laugh, grinning a little bit wider as he glanced up at Stiles

"Well if that's the case then maybe you should give me your number so we can plan this little play date,"

Well _that_ was smooth

"I think you mean _cos_ play date," Stiles teased

Gamora gave a slight laugh, letting go of Stiles long enough to pull a small card case out of his pocket

Stiles was half-way through the process of getting a pen and notepad out of his walkman purse when he heard one of his costars calling out to him

"Stiles!!! The panel is about to start!"

Crap... he was already running late....

"Um, I've gotta-"

"Go, just ... email me or something later ok?"

Stiles gave an awkward smile to the other cosplayer, taking his business card and running off towards the actress calling for him

"I'll email you!! Promise!!"

 

~+~

 

And he meant to, he really, really did, but he had gotten back to his hotel room late from the convention and was starting his new job late the next day and ... he just... hadn't had the time yet

Now he was standing in front of the studio, staring at his phone with annoyance and wishing he had just taken the time to email him a few hours ago

The scene they were currently filming was running a little late and they had asked Stiles to wait outside because it was a delicate scene and they didn't want there to be an interruption in the flow created by the arrival of a new cast member

(Though Stiles knew realistically he just wasn't trusted with spoilers yet)

So here he stood, outside, annoyed that his cell phone wasn't getting any reception and not sure what to do wile he waited...

Until, that is, he heard someone clearing their throat and hurried to look up, seeing an unfamiliar face in front of him

"Oh hey! Are you um... working on The Walking Dead too?"

"Yeah, they asked me to wait out here," the stranger replied, coming a little closer

Stiles felt his heart skip a beat, mouth falling open as he stared at the other

"Oh my GOD you're Derek Hale!! You play Superman on Supergirl!" he almost screamed

Derek's lips perked up into a small smile, bowing his head and biting his lip

"That's me,"

"Holy CRAP I love you!!!" Stiles screamed

Wich he ... didn't exactly MEAN to scream but you know, oh well

Derek just smiled a little brighter, starting to turn red

"Thank you,"

"Yeah, absolutely, ofcourse, I mean just... oh my God I love you, you're working here now?"

"Yeah, and I take it you're a new cast member too?"

"Yep, I am, Stiles Stilinski, nice to meet you," he replied with a slight smile, reaching out to take Derek's hand

"Stiles Stilinski.... wait, Stiles Stilinski from 'Cross'?"

"Yeah, you knew my show?"

"I loved your show, I mean, I hated your charector, but I loved your show and I love you as an actor,"

"Don't worry about it, I played an angry, grudge-holding serial killer, I get why you hated him," Stiles said with a laugh

"I'm glad this isn't coming to you as a surprise then," Derek teased playfully

"Oh nah, trust me, you wouldn't be the first one,"

The other actor nodded slowly in understanding, taking a few more steps towards Stiles and glancing around the studio lot

"So... what do we do until they come to get us?"

Stiles grinned, taking a baseball out of his pocket and holding it up for Derek to see

"Interested in some catch?"

Derek's eyebrows raised curiously, tilting his head

"You just... carry a baseball around with you?"

"Well... ish? I keep it in my car, I usually bring it on set with me for the lulls when there's nothing going on, so, interested?"

Derek's lips perked up into a slight smile, shrugging and nodding in his direction

"Sure, I have nothing better to do,"

Maybe not the IDEAL response but Stiles would take it

He was playing catch with Superman, what about this wasn't to love!?

"So how was your weekend?" he asked, pitching the ball towards Derek as the other man took a few steps back to give them better range

"No complaints, I was at a convention for most of it,"

"Really? That's awesome, so was I, wich con was it?"

"The one they had here in Atlanta, I just can't remember the name..."

Stiles paused, eyes wide as he caught the ball

"Oh my God seriously? That's the same one I was at!! I didn't see you there though, what gives?"

"I was in cosplay the entire time, I didn't have any panels to go to as a guest so I just went as a fan," Derek shrugged back

"Really? Cool, who'd you cosplay?"

"Gamora, from Guardians Of The Galaxy,"

Stiles dropped the ball- literally

"HOLY **CRAP** you were the Gamora crossplayer?! DUDE I was Starlord!!! I'm so sorry I haven't emailed you yet, I've been busy,"

Now that Stiles was really looking at him he could see where Derek could have been the guy he had adored, and his voice was definitely the same

It was just so hard to recognize someone when they were covered in green body paint and wearing a wig...

"It's fine, it's fine, I just can't believe we ended up meeting like that, or that I didn't recognize your scent until now, though with a convention that crowded it was hard to get in the first place,"

"My-...? Ohhh, you must be a werewolf huh? I thought there was something different about you,"

Stiles still wasn't really the best at telling yet, even though he had been around other supernatural folk for most of his life, he was just a selkie, his senses were barely higher than a human's when not in his seal form

"How perceptive," Derek teased

"I like to think I am," Stiles teased back

Ofcourse, they didn't have too much longer to play and get to know eachother, given that they were being called into the studio only a few minutes later, but Stiles had a good feeling about all of this

He had a feeling that this was going to form into a beautifull relationship

 

~+~

 

"YES!!"

Derek glanced over his shoulder at the excited way Stiles was jumping around, a fond smile coming over his face as he took a step towards the selkie

"Something good happen I take it?"

Stiles turned towards him, beaming like a ray of sunshine and nodding his head

"Yeah!! I got a role on The Originals!"

"Really? That's great, what's it for?"

"Oh it's just a bit part, nothing major, but I'm really excited to do it because it fits in really well with my filming schedule, it doesn't conflict with The Walking Dead OR iZombie!"

Derek paused, eyebrows raised as he reached for a grape from the Kraft catering table

"iZombie?"

"Yeah, I'm filming an episode of that next week wile I'm off,"

Honestly, he was really lucky that the filming worked out

He and Derek had similar roles, they were both signed to do six episodes of The Walking Dead this season wich was a pretty fair amount for their first time on the show

But it also left alot of gaps in their schedules for them to do other things, finding something to neatly fill in those gaps without overlapping, however, was quite a bit of a chore, and luck of the draw more than anything

"Wow, you certainly are busy,"

"No not really, right now I just have those two coming up, plus TWD, and in about two months I'm going to do a cameo in a Marvel movie- though I can't tell you wich one- wich I'm REALLY excited about,"

"That's incredible, you really are doing alot though..."

"Nah, I'm really, really not, I was doing much better when I was on 'Cross', but what about you? What other projects do you have going on besides this?"

Derek was a little concerned by how easily Stiles was brushing off the amount of work he was doing, but he knew it wasn't his place to lecture him on it

"I'm doing a few more episodes of Supergirl this season, when Walking Dead goes on filming hiatus I'll be doing a fantasy/thriller from Paramount,"

"Oh really? That's incredible, good for you," Stiles grinned back

"Thanks,"

"Ofcourse! Man you're lucky to have Supergirl, not only are you playing on SUPERGIRL- wich is one of the best shows ever- but you're literally Superman AND you kinda have a permanent job as long as the show is on air, since I'm pretty sure they won't just toss Superman in the dumpster or anything any time soon, so you have atleast mild job security for as long as it runs, I have to admit, I'm a little jealous,"

Derek could tell, not that it was an inherently bad thing, jealousy was something he had learned to come to terms with a long time ago in this line of work

"If you want you can come to set with me and see if you can get in as an extra or something, you're going to be in Vancouver for iZombie right? I'll take you by and see if they can fit you in one of my episodes,"

Derek was just glad that he and Stiles had the same filming schedule, given their charectors were essentially partners on The Walking Dead and rarely did scenes without eachother, he wasn't sure if that would change or not, should they come back for next season, but he kind of hoped it wouldn't

"Are you serious? You'd really do that for me?" Stiles asked in amazement

"Yeah, why not?" Derek shrugged back

That was one of the things Derek loved about being an actor, the solidarity involved, being able to do projects with people he cared about and exchanging favors, he knew that didn't work out for alot of actors, but it worked out for him and he adored it

"Dude, that'd be amazing!! Thank you!!"

"Sure, no problem," Derek smiled back gently, perking slightly at the sound of someone approaching

"I think they want you back in make up," he noted

Sure enough, when Stiles peered over his shoulder, the PA coming for him was the same one that usually herded people back into the make up chair

"Ah crap.... ok, see you on set! Thanks again!" he shouted, waving before taking off in the right direction

Derek smiled fondly after him, but couldn't help the strange sinking sensation in his gut that something wasn't quite right

 

~+~

 

Stiles was freaking exhausted

He was barely keeping things together, trying to remember if he was scheduled to work the week of the 9th

He had misplaced his schedule book and now he was on hold with someone from Disney who was inviting him to do a small voice role in one of their upcoming animated films

It was just a small part, it would only require a few days of filming, and Stiles knew he could easily squeeze it in....

As long as he wasn't supposed to be in Atlanta that week

"Where the hell did I put it!?" he screamed to himself, praying that the woman on the other line would stay busy long enough for him to find his schedule

He had been relieved when she got another call and had to put him on hold, but that was already five minutes ago, how long could he keep this up?

Wimpering low in his throat, he rushed over to the couch and flipped the cushions off, chewing on his lip as he searched for the book

And just as he was about to sink down into full on panic mode.... his freaking doorbell rang

He was about to wonder if this could get any worse, when the woman with Disney picked up again

"Y-Yes! Yes I'm still here, don't worry about it, it's fine," he said with a steady, mostly calm voice- _acting_

He swung the door open, releif pooling over him as he spotted Derek standing in front of him with a pizza

"Yeah I'm ABSOLUTELY interested, it's the week of the ninth right?" he said, staring up at Derek hopefully- praying that he was getting the hint

Derek gave him the thumb's up and he sighed in releif, ushering him in

"Yeah I can do it, I'll see you in LA,"

The woman promised to email him the details and with a quick farewell he hung up, shutting the apartment door behind Derek and heaving a sigh of releif

"Hey, we aren't working the week of the ninth are we?"

"No, signing up for something else I see?" Derek asked with mild surprise

"Thank God... yeah, I just got a voice part with Disney, it's a small role but you know- _Disney_ , there's no way in HELL I could turn that down,"

"I understand, if I ever get a role at Disney I won't either, no matter what the part is," Derek agreed

"Exactly! You know, I could see you playing a prince in one of their live-actions, and you could voice all _kinds_ of different roles!"

"You really think so?" Derek asked a bit shyly, biting his lip

"Ofcourse I do! I mean, look at you! And your voice is so versatile it could go for just about anything!"

"Well thank you, I um... I brought pizza, by the way, figured you might not have eaten yet,"

"Oooh thanks! I'm freaking starving! You're right, I haven't eaten, but I've been looking for my schedule everywhere and I can't freaking find it, it's driving me crazy!!"

"You mean this schedule?" Derek asked with raised eyebrows, lifting the pizza box up a little to produce the schedule book from where it was cradled under his arm

"Oh my God thank you!! Where in the hell was this stupid thing!?"

"You left it at the Kraft services table when we were filming this morning on the road,"

"O-Oh...." he croaked shyly, taking the book and clearing his throat

"Thanks...."

"Don't worry about it, but... are you sure that you're not overworking yourself a little?"

Stiles shook his head, flopping down on the couch and silently inviting Derek to do the same

"No, I'll be fine, I need to get as much of these small parts as I can,"

"Ok... this may sound like something of a stupid question but... why?" the werewolf frowned, sitting down next to him and setting the pizza box on the coffee table in front of them

"Because you never know how long you're gonna have as an actor, I mean who knows how long it'll be before you get too old and Hollywood just stops hiring you? We can't all be George Clooney, and what about injuries? If you get injured you might never work again, hell even barring all of that so many actors just have a short lifespan in this business... and even if none of that happened, I still need to keep my name out there as much as possible and working one or two small jobs isn't going to do it,"

"But you have The Walking Dead now and we just got invited back as recurring parts for next season," Derek frowned, opening the pizza box and taking a slice out to give to Stiles

The selkie accepted it with a small hint of reluctance, leaning back and looking down at the floor

"Yeah but regular cast members die every _season_ on that show, it isn't like Once Upon A Time or something where being a season regular gives you some kind of job security,"

Derek paused, his own peice of pizza half-way out of the box

"Weren't you _on _Once Upon A Time?"__

__"Yeah but only as a guest role for two episodes, sure I can always come back if they need me again- and I hope one day they do- but that's different, and I mean even you with Supergirl... like I said, they won't exactly get rid of Superman you know? I just... I wish I could have a more stable role, I know that isn't really fashionable for actors because of the creativity thing but I'd kill to have something like the guys on Supernatural do, I'm not asking for main charector status but ... just something to fall back on, atleast,"_ _

__"Stiles..."_ _

__"I know that I can't do this forever, constantly going back and forth, I need to settle somewhere at some point... I mean I want to have a family too you know? And already that's going to be a hard thing for an actor but for one who's constantly running back and forth between projects and filming locations... if I only had one or two at a time with decent sized roles, or even one decent sized role and one or two guest spots that would be so much better but I'll never get there if I don't keep circulating different circles and right now I'm making connections and stuff wich is good but I just need something STABLE even if it's small and recu-"_ _

__"STILES!" Derek shouted, jerking the other out of his tangent_ _

__It was only at that moment that he noticed Derek had put down both their peices of pizza and was in front of him now, holding his hands and staring anxiously at him_ _

__"You're spiraling," he said quietly_ _

__Stiles took a long, deep breath, letting his shoulders relax and hanging his head_ _

__"Sorry... I'm sorry,"_ _

__"I know, you don't need to apologize ok? You just need to calm down, take a breath, everything will be ok, I swear that, you're an incredibly talented actor who's getting ALOT of work and making alot of great connections, and The Walking Dead is a great credit to have on your resume... I swear that everything is going to be fine but you just have to breathe and trust me on that ok? And overworking yourself to the point of going insane isn't going to help anyone, least of all you... you know that right?"_ _

__"Yeah..." Stiles croaked quietly_ _

__Derek seemed atleast partly satisfied with that for now, handing Stiles his pizza back and heaving a breath_ _

__"Good, now ... eat, I don't even want to know how long it's been since the last time you ate something that wasn't part of a catering table,"_ _

__"You REALLY don't," Stiles snorted back, biting eagerly into the pizza_ _

__

__~+~_ _

__

__A few days later, Derek was nearly done unpacking his bags when someone suddenly started pounding on his hotel door_ _

__"DEREK!!! DEREK!!!"_ _

__Dropping the t-shirt he had just pulled out of his bag, he hurried to the door and jerked it open, frowning at the other man in confusion_ _

__"Stiles?"_ _

__"My skin is missing!" he shouted anxiously_ _

__Derek frowned, immediately pulling the selkie into his room and shutting the door behind them so the other's screaming wouldn't attract attention_ _

__"My seal skin is missing," he repeated_ _

__"What do you mean it's missing?"_ _

__"I mean it's MISSING Derek!! I just got here and I was checking my luggage and I can't find it anywhere!"_ _

__"Well where do you usually keep it?"_ _

__"In my pillowcase, I have a special pillow that I sleep with, it's the only way I can sleep so I keep it in there but I don't have my pillow either!"_ _

__"Why did you bring it with you anyway? Shouldn't you have just left it at home?" Derek frowned, letting out a slight sigh and pinching the bridge of his nose_ _

__"I always bring it with me, it's the only way I can keep it safe, I mean what if somebody broke in wile I was gone or something? I'd be screwed! Atleast this way I can make sure I have it every night,"_ _

__Actually, that was a pretty fair point...._ _

__"Alright, so you're missing your pillow, retrace your steps, where was the last place you saw it?"_ _

__"I don't-!"_ _

__"Retrace. Your steps." Derek replied evenly_ _

__"Ok ok ok... um... I know for sure I had it when I packed, and... I DIDN'T have it on the plane so...it was some time between leaving the apartment in Atlanta and boarding the plane... oh God what if it's at the airport? Or the taxi? What if I left it in the taxi!?"_ _

__"Stiles, you're misremembering, you had your stuff with you at dinner remember?"_ _

__That gave the selkie pause, blinking in confusion_ _

__"Dinner...?"_ _

__"Remember? After filming you came with everyone else and had dinner at Nic & Norman's...?"_ _

__"Filming...?"_ _

__Derek frowned, biting the inside of his lip with concern when a look of recognition finally crossed over Stiles' face_ _

__"Ohhhh right right.... I packed early yesterday and had one of the transport vans take me to set because of returning my rental car... we filmed late so the van took me to the restaurant too and then after that I called a cab for the airport,"_ _

__"Right," Derek nodded_ _

__He still didn't know why Stiles had decided to leave late last night instead of early this morning like Derek, he claimed it was because he got horrible jet lag but Derek was starting to wonder if it was some kind of chronic inability of his to stay still...._ _

__"So I could have left it at the apartment, in the van, on set, at the restaurant, in the cab, or at the airport, great, now this is WORSE,"_ _

__"It isn't worse, there's a bigger chance someone will have seen it now," Derek pointed out_ _

__"But there are more places I could have left it,"_ _

__"Still better odds in my opinion, look... I'm going to send a mass text to everyone we were with yesterday, ask if anyone even remembers you having it at dinner, do you have one of those video security systems in your apartment? Maybe you can check in to see if you left it there,"_ _

__"What? No!! Who the hell has one of those in real life?!"_ _

__Derek just heaved a sigh, glad that he had several of the cast and crew members' numbers already in his phone as he texted out the message_ _

__"Then start with the cab company, it'll be less ground to cover than the airport,"_ _

__And ofcourse Atlanta WOULD have the biggest airport in the world- _literally__ _

__"What if it's gone forever?"_ _

__"Stiles-"_ _

__"No, Derek, I'm serious!! What if it's eternally lost!? Or worse what if someone STOLE it!? Do you know what that means!? Best case scenario I'll never be able to shift again and will live a short miserable life, worst case scenario someone figures out what it is and uses it against me to turn me into their servant or force me to marry them or something! Suddenly all of those stories my mom used to tell us are coming true!"_ _

__Derek inhaled slowly, setting his phone down and moving carefully across to Stiles, placing an arm on his shoulder and gently nudging him towards the ground_ _

__"What stories?"_ _

__"The stories about selkies, all those old stories... about how humans would find selkie pelts and use them against us, use them to CONTROL us, force us into marriages just because they had our pelts... she always told me to protect my skin no matter what, that that's the one thing I needed to do- keep my skin safe and hidden and now look what happened..."_ _

__"Stiles it was a mistake, ok? A simple mistake, it isn't your fault,"_ _

__"A simple mistake that might just get me killed," Stiles frowned back, biting down hard on his bottom lip and jerking slightly when Derek leaned forward and very carefully wrapped his arms around the selkie, giving him a gentle hug_ _

__"Stiles, you're going to be ok, alright? I swear it, no matter what happens, I WILL help you find your pelt, no one is going to use it against you, and it isn't going to be lost forever, I'll help you find it, I swear,"_ _

__Stiles sniffed somewhat miserably, letting his head fall against Derek's shoulder as he returned the hug- tighter though, squeezing him and holding on for dear life_ _

__Derek remembered the stories about selkies_ _

__He remembered thinking about how unlucky they were, to have their gift dangling so close to the edge of danger all the time, to not be able to shift completely at will like werefolk could, to risk being controlled, abused, or having their powers stolen from them because of a simple mistake..._ _

__He always felt so sad after hearing stories about the tragic seal-folk, he had never imagined he'd be in the position of watching one spiral into misery like this_ _

__He poked his head up after a moment, the familiar sound of a text going off as he kept one hand securely around Stiles and reached out to grab his phone with the other_ _

__"Oh my God someone found your skin,"_ _

__"What!?" Stiles almost screamed, jumping back from Derek's hold and nearly clawing the phone away from him_ _

__"Norman Reedus has your pillow, he called the restaurant and someone found it there this morning,"_ _

__"Holy crap oh my God I can't believe Daryl Dixon literally just saved my life oh my God...."_ _

__"I assume we're going back today for it," Derek mused, it wasn't even a question, he already knew that Stiles wouldn't be willing to wait until next week to have it back- and Derek didn't blame him for a second_ _

__"You don't have to go with me," Stiles said quietly, chewing his lip as Derek sent a text back to the other actor_ _

__"I'm going with you, you lost your SKIN this time Stiles, God only knows what you'll lose on your way back here,"_ _

__Stiles just hung his head with slight shame, face red and eyes close to watering as the ting of another text message went off_ _

__"He said he sent someone to pick it up for you so you can just come to set for it, they're filming at the studio today,"_ _

__"Holy crap he's an angel... I'm gonna buy that guy a fruit basket or something,"_ _

__"I'll tell him that," Derek snorted dryly, shaking his head as he moved towards the closet to get his shoes on- they were going to have to catch the first flight they could most likely..._ _

__"You're an angel too though, seriously, I don't know what I would've done without you remembering all that stuff and just... everything.... I mean this turned out so much better than last time,"_ _

__Derek paused, one shoe half-on as he slowly turned his head to stare at the selkie_ _

___"Last time?"_ _ _

__"Well, 'last time' really puts it in a poor light, I just mean the last time I had a seal related incident on set, this is the first time I've ever lost my skin,"_ _

__"Seal related inci- .... oh my GOD were you that seal Jennifer Morrison found in her trailer last year!?"_ _

__"It was an honest mistake!"_ _

__"HOW is you in your seal form rolling around her trailer an honest mistake? That video went viral! You could've outed your species!"_ _

__"Yeah, ok, but I DIDN'T and they chalked it up to local wildlife since they were filming here in Vancouver and happened to be near the beach, besides the cast thought it was AWESOME and I got free belly rubs and head scritches all day,"_ _

__There were so many questions ...._ _

__So many enormous questions that Derek just decided not to ask any of them_ _

__"Alright Seabert, in return for me saving your skin- _literally_ \- you're telling me the entire story the minute we're on the plane- starting with why you even had your pelt with you on set to begin with,"_ _

__"Well, see, actually, I didn't have it on set with me, I was sunbathing and forgot that I was supposed to be filming so since I couldn't just shapeshift out in the open in the middle of the morning I waddled my way towards set so I could get some privacy and ended up in the wrong trailer, you know, it's very hard to read from that angle on the ground so I _honestly_ thought Jen's trailer was mine,"_ _

__This was going to be a long day_ _

__

__~+~_ _

__

__Atleast getting the pelt back wasn't too difficult, and in fact, Derek almost felt bitter that they had come all that way for an exchange that barely lasted ten minutes_ _

__Stiles had insisted on treating Derek to lunch wile they were there and since they had time to kill before their next flight he decided to accept_ _

__It was... nice_ _

__Peacefull and calming considering most of their interactions until now had been so high-stress_ _

__It was nice to have one that was relaxed for once_ _

__"I really am sorry about getting in your hair like this, I just... I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost it you know?"_ _

__"Stiles you really don't have to apologize, I get it, my mom used to tell me stories about selkies all the time, I know how precious your coat is,"_ _

__Being in a public place, they were trying to avoid using words like "skin" and "pelt" as much as possible in case of wandering ears_ _

__"You have no idea.... our clan keeps our secrets pretty close to the vest, there are alot of stories that even you guys wouldn't know about, as a matter of fact, my grandmother had her coat stolen when she was a teenager, she managed to steal it back but.... only after ten years, my mom was a kid then, she was one of the lucky ones that she was able to go with her mother back to the sea, most kids born into that situation are left with the father wile the mother returns home, or you know, the reverse if the genders are switched,"_ _

__Derek's heart just... broke at hearing that, he knew how messy selkie history was, he was no stranger to these concepts, but hearing it almost first hand like this somehow made it much more real than listening to his mother telling stories ever had_ _

__"I'm so sorry to hear that...."_ _

__"Don't worry, it isn't your fault, but I'm just saying... it's not something I take lightly you know? Like... at all, she instilled that fear in me from day one and with good reason,"_ _

__Derek knew plenty about good reasons, werewolves may not be as vulnerable as selkies, but they were just as hunted..._ _

__Besides, he knew people weren't generally trustworthy, especially humans, and Stiles had every right to be worried_ _

__"Can I ask you something personal then?"_ _

__Stiles looked mildly concerned about what that might entail, but apparently he didn't have a problem with it_ _

__"Yeah, sure, go ahead,"_ _

__"If this was going to be such a problem... why become an actor? Why not do something at home where you can keep your eye on your pe- .. coat at all times?"_ _

__"Well, why did YOU become an actor knowing that one ounce too much of moonlight would make you a headline on the six o'clock news?"_ _

__Fair point_ _

__"We act because it's what we love, it's what we want to do, and ... honestly, seals are a prey species, being high-strung and hyper-vigilant is on our blood, you know? It doesn't matter if it was this or working in a library or working at home from my computer... I'd always be high-strung and anxious, it's just part of my DNA, I'm not going to let that control me you know?"_ _

__Derek understood that- and he respected it too, a smile pulling to his face as he took Stiles' hand and gave it a squeeze_ _

__"I respect that, I'm proud of you for it.... but maybe lay off a little ok? I think we've seen proof now that you're overworking yourself, you don't want to have another exhaustion-induced lapse in memory and lose your coat a second time do you?"_ _

__"No... I really don't," Stiles sighed back, smiling warmly at Derek and glancing up at the sound of their waiter coming by.... only to spot a couple of people at a table nearby filming them_ _

__"How much of that conversation do you think they heard?" Stiles muttered under his breath_ _

__"Hopefully none, just smile and wave," Derek wispered back, taking his own advice and waving politely at the smartphones_ _

__Stiles copied him - but much more awkwardly_ _

__

__~+~_ _

__

__Through a sheer stroke of luck their conversation wasn't caught on video- Stiles didn't know HOW, but he was thankfull for it_ _

__Instead the short video just floated around the internet spawning theories about he and Derek being romantically linked, supporting their "epic bromance", and fueling confusion for the TWD spoiler hunters as to why he and Derek had stopped by set for ten minutes and left to have lunch_ _

__How did he find out about all of this?_ _

__Because it was the first thing his future castmates brought up when he went with Derek to talk about a small part on Supergirl the next morning_ _

__Everyone thought it was _adorable__ _

__(And honestly, Stiles was so relieved that the seal talk hadn't been caught on film that he didn't even care)_ _

__Now that all of the crazy was done, he was just looking for a little time to relax, and when he spotted Derek at the hotel pool later that night it seemed like the perfect opportunity_ _

__The werewolf, meanwile, was leaning against the side of the pool, head lolled to the side and eyes closed as he tried to let some of the stress melt off of him_ _

__He was already a stressed enough person as it was thanks, no extra needed_ _

__It was just as he was starting to really relax, getting in the "I could almost fall asleep like this" zone, that he heard a splash and his eyes snapped open, looking down and spotting.... a seal_ _

__A seal had decided to join him for a night swim in the pool_ _

__"Stiles?"_ _

__A nod_ _

__"I take it you're relying on me to keep watch for anyone else who may decide to come swimming after ten?"_ _

__Not that that was a common thing but it could happen_ _

__Stiles, however, shook his head, swimming a little closer and nudging his head up under Derek's hand_ _

__The werewolf raised an eyebrow, but gave a small smile as he started gently rubbing his thumb over the seal's soft fur_ _

__If the pleased little noise Stiles made was any indication, Derek would say that he was enjoying that_ _

__So, like any reasonable person, Derek kept doing it_ _

__He and Stiles spent roughly an hour like that, just silently enjoying eachother's company in the water as Derek petted Stiles and Stiles used Derek as a pillow_ _

__It was nice_ _

__Nicer than either of them had experienced in an outrageously long time_ _

__

__~+~_ _

__

__"I got it!"_ _

__Derek looked up from his coffee, eyebrows raised in surprise as Stiles ran forward and slammed into him, squeezing the living daylights out of the wolf_ _

__"Got- what? Super strength?"_ _

__"The part on American Horror Story!! It's so great! It doesn't conflict with anything else and it's a small role now but you know how they LOVE reusing actors on that show- if they like me I could just keep coming back every season and do roles of varying sizes and just... it's stable! I mean, it might be, it's about as stable as anything right now!"_ _

__"That's great Stiles but.... remember what we said about overdoing it?" Derek frowned_ _

__"I know I know but this is the last one I PROMISE, and I don't even need to be on set until that three-week break we have from Walking Dead, it'll be fine, I PROMISE,"_ _

__"I'm happy for you," Derek replied with a soft smile, taking a sip of his coffee_ _

__"You should be happy for yourself too, I maaaay have snagged you a little something as well, you know, in return for helping me out with Supergirl, I mean it's nothing fancy, don't know if you'll even have lines but-"_ _

__"Stiles," Derek interrupted, smile growing a little as he stared down at the seal_ _

__"I'm looking forward to it,"_ _

__And if Derek hadn't thought Stiles could look any happier.... he was wrong_ _

__The selkie wrapped his arms around Derek's neck, giving him a happy kiss on the cheek in what Derek believed was probably celebration_ _

__"You know, if you keep doing things like that, you'll only encourage the rumors that we're dating," Derek pointed out_ _

__Stiles was quiet for a moment, leaning back but keeping his arms around the werewolf's neck as he stared anxiously up at him_ _

__"...So...?"_ _

__"SO.... maybe they should stop being rumors," Derek replied, leaning down and catching Stiles' lips in a kiss_ _

__

__~+~_ _

__

__That night in the hotel they officially announced their relationship via Stiles' social media (given that Derek really didn't have any) and waited for the sure-to-be flood of comments and sharing that the announcement would garner_ _

__In the mean time, however, Derek decided it was his turn for a little shapeshifted R &R, changing into his wolf form and taking a nap wile Stiles stroked his fur and went over his part for iZombie (Again)_ _

__It was as nice as that night in the pool had been, and from then on it kind of had become a thing_ _

__Stiles would shift and swim with Derek_ _

__Derek would shift and jog with Stiles_ _

__And they'd take turns shifting (or sometimes both at once) indoors to cuddle and relax_ _

__Though, if they were both being completely honest, _nothing_ beat how comfortable it was when they cuddled together both in human form_ _

__(And their costars were very, very well aware of that)_ _


End file.
